Expanded nursing competencies to improve person-centred care for nursing home residents with complex health needs (Expand-Care): study protocol for an exploratory cluster-randomised trial.

INTRODUCTION: Older age is associated with multimorbidity, chronic diseases and acute deteriorations and leads to complex care needs. Nursing home residents are more often unnecessarily transferred to emergency departments or hospitals than community dwellers-largely due to a lack of qualified staff and diffusion of responsibility in the institutions. In Germany, only few academically trained nurses work in nursing homes, and their potential roles are unclear. Therefore, we aim to explore feasibility and potential effects of a newly defined role profile for nurses with bachelors' degree or equivalent qualification in nursing homes. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A pilot study (Expand-Care) with a cluster-randomised controlled design will be conducted in 11 nursing homes (cluster) in Germany, with an allocation ratio of 5:6 to the intervention or control group, aiming to include 15 residents per cluster (165 participants in total). Nurses in the intervention group will receive training to perform role-related tasks such as case reviews and complex geriatric assessments. We will collect data at three time points (t0 baseline, t1 3 months and t2 6 months after randomisation). We will measure on residents' level: hospital admissions, further health services use and quality of life; clinical outcomes (eg, symptom burden), physical functioning and delivery of care; mortality, adverse clinical incidents and changes in care level. On nurses' level, we will measure perception of the new role profile, competencies and implementation of role-related tasks as part of the process evaluation (mixed methods). An economic evaluation will explore resource use on residents' (healthcare utilisation) and on nurses' level (costs and time expenditure). ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The ethics committees of the University of Lübeck (Nr. 22-162) and the University Clinic Hamburg-Eppendorf (Nr. 2022-200452-BO-bet) approved the Expand-Care study. Informed consent is a prerequisite for participation. Study results will be published in open-access, peer-reviewed journals and reported at conferences and in local healthcare providers' networks. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: DRKS00028708.

Prevalence and associations of xerosis cutis, incontinence-associated dermatitis, skin tears, pressure ulcers, and intertrigo in aged nursing home residents: A representative prevalence study.

BACKGROUND: The number of elderly and care-dependent people is increasing, leading to increased risks of adverse skin conditions. Skin care, including prevention and treatment of vulnerable skin, is an essential part of daily nursing practice in long-term residential settings. For many years, the research focus has been on individual skin problems including xerosis cutis, incontinence-associated dermatitis, skin tears, pressure ulcers, and intertrigo, although people may be affected by several at the same time. OBJECTIVES: Aim of the present study was to describe the prevalence and associations of skin conditions relevant to nursing practice in aged nursing home residents. DESIGN: Analysis of baseline data of a cluster-RCT in long-term residential settings. SETTING: The study was conducted in a representative sample of n = 17 nursing homes in the federal state of Berlin, Germany. PARTICIPANTS: Care dependent nursing home residents being 65+ years. METHODS: A random sample of all eligible nursing homes was drawn. Demographic and health characteristics were collected and head-to-toe skin examinations conducted by dermatologists. Prevalence estimates and intracluster correlation coefficients were calculated, and group comparisons conducted. RESULTS: Three hundred fourteen residents with a mean age of 85.4 (SD 7.1) years were included. The majority was affected by xerosis cutis (95.9%, 95% CI 93.6 to 97.8), followed by intertrigo 35.0% (95% CI 30.0 to 40.1), incontinence-associated dermatitis 21.0% (95% CI 15.6 to 26.3), skin tears 10.5% (95% CI 7.3 to 13.8), and pressure ulcers 8.0% (95% CI 5.1 to 10.8). In total, more than half of the nursing home residents were affected by two or more skin conditions at the same time. Several associations between skin conditions and mobility, care dependency, or cognitive impairment were observed. There were no associations between xerosis cutis, incontinence-associated dermatitis, skin tears, pressure ulcers or intertrigo. CONCLUSIONS: The adverse skin and tissue conditions xerosis cutis, incontinence-associated dermatitis, skin tears, pressure ulcers and intertrigo are very common in long-term residential settings, placing a high burden on this population. Although care receivers share similar risk factors and may be affected by several skin conditions at the same time, there are no associations indicating separate aetiological pathways. REGISTRATION: This study is registered at the German Clinical Trials Register (registration number: DRKS00015680; date of registration: January 29th, 2019) and ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03824886; date of registration: January 31st, 2019).

[Justification of nurses' interventions for skin cleansing and skincare: Qualitative results of the SKINCARE-Pilot study]. / Begründung pflegerischer Maßnahmen zur Hautreinigung und Hautpflege.

Justification of nurses' interventions for skin cleansing and skincare: Qualitative results of the SKINCARE-Pilot study Abstract. Background: Skin care interventions are core tasks of nursing. Various factors influence the implementation of evidence-based care. Aims: To explore the perspectives of nursing staff on the relevance of skin care interventions in long-term care settings and the justification of clinical decisions about the application of such interventions. Methods: Qualitative part of a mixed methods study in three long-term-care facilities, consisting of short interviews with nursing staff members directly after nursing assistance with personal hygiene, focus group discussions with nursing staff members, and semi-structured interviews with nursing managers. The data were analyzed by means of content analysis. Results: The sample (N = 30) comprises 10 short interviews, 3 focus groups (n = 17), and 3 individual interviews. Nurses predominantly assigned a high relevance to nursing support in personal hygiene. As a basis for their decision-making, residents' needs and preferences, nurses' personal knowledge as well as own experiences and preferences were reported. Evidence-based sources of knowledge were hardly mentioned. The availability of skin cleansing and skin care products, staff and time resources, and nurse-physician cooperation were identified as influencing factors. Conclusions: Decisions about nursing support in personal hygiene seem poorly informed by evidence-based sources for clinical decision-making. Evidence-based decision support could facilitate the use of appropriate nursing interventions.

Die COVID-19-Pandemie im akutstationären Setting aus Sicht von Führungspersonen und Hygienefachkräften in der Pflege - Eine qualitative Studie

The COVID-19-pandemic in acute inpatient setting from nursing managers' and hygiene specialists' perspective - A qualitative study Abstract. Background: The COVID-19-pandemic is an unprecedented, exceptional situation and necessitates numerous adaptations of structures and processes in the acute inpatient setting. AIM: The aim of this study was to explore how acute inpatient care was influenced by the pandemic and which implications may result for the future from nursing managers' and hygiene specialists' point of view. METHODS: Qualitative study based on semi-structured interviews with five nursing managers and three hygiene specialists in four German acute care hospitals. Interviews were interpreted by using content analysis. RESULTS: Interviewees described how everyday routines in their hospitals were adapted to the prioritized care for COVID-19 patients. Main challenges were uncertainty and anxiety among staff, relative scarcity of equipment and workforce resources and rapid implementation of new requirements for treatment capacities. This was addressed by targeted communication and information, large efforts to ensure resources and coordinated control of all processes by cross-department, interprofessional task forces. CONCLUSIONS: Adaptations made to the structures and procedures of care delivery during the pandemic hold potential for future improvements of routine care, e. g. new workplace and skill mix models. To identify detailed practical implications, a renewed and deepened data analysis is needed at a later point of time, with a larger distance to the period of the pandemic.

Identifying Evidence-Informed Physical Activity Apps: Content Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Regular moderate to vigorous physical activity is essential for maintaining health and preventing the onset of chronic diseases. Both global rates of smartphone ownership and the market for physical activity and fitness apps have grown rapidly in recent years. The use of physical activity and fitness apps may assist the general population in reaching evidence-based physical activity recommendations. However, it remains unclear whether there are evidence-informed physical activity apps and whether behavior change techniques (BCTs) previously identified as effective for physical activity promotion are used in these apps. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to identify English and German evidence-informed physical activity apps and BCT employment in those apps. METHODS: We identified apps in a systematic search using 25 predefined search terms in the Google Play Store. Two reviewers independently screened the descriptions of apps and screenshots applying predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Apps were included if (1) their description contained information about physical activity promotion; (2) they were in English or German; (3) physical activity recommendations of the World Health Organization or the American College of Sports Medicine were mentioned; and (4) any kind of objective physical activity measurement was included. Two researchers downloaded and tested apps matching the inclusion criteria for 2 weeks and coded their content using the Behavioral Change Technique Taxonomy v1 (BCTTv1). RESULTS: The initial screening in the Google Play Store yielded 6018 apps, 4108 of which were not focused on physical activity and were not in German or English. The descriptions of 1216 apps were further screened for eligibility. Duplicate apps and light versions (n=694) and those with no objective measurement of physical activity, requiring additional equipment, or not outlining any physical activity guideline in their description (n=1184) were excluded. Of the remaining 32 apps, 4 were no longer available at the time of the download. Hence, 28 apps were downloaded and tested; of these apps, 14 did not contain any physical activity guideline as an app feature, despite mentioning it in the description, 5 had technical problems, and 3 did not provide objective physical activity measurement. Thus, 6 were included in the final analyses. Of 93 individual BCTs of the BCTTv1, on average, 9 (SD 5) were identified in these apps. Of 16 hierarchical clusters, on average, 5 (SD 3) were addressed. Only BCTs of the 2 hierarchical clusters "goals and planning" and "feedback and monitoring" were identified in all apps. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the availability of several thousand physical activity and fitness apps for Android platforms, very few addressed evidence-based physical activity guidelines and provided objective physical activity measurement. Furthermore, available descriptions did not accurately reflect the app content and only a few evidence-informed physical activity apps incorporated several BCTs. Future apps should address evidence-based physical activity guidelines and a greater scope of BCTs to further increase their potential impact for physical activity promotion.